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Speaker 1: From the Berkshires to the sound from wherever you live

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Speaker 1: in MLB America. This is inside the Parker. You give

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Speaker 1: us twenty two minutes and we'll give you the scoop

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Speaker 1: on Major League Baseball. Now here's Baseball Hall of Fame

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Speaker 1: voter number seven, Rob Parker. Welcome into the podcast. I'm

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Speaker 1: your host, Rob Parker. What a great show for you today.

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Speaker 1: David Vasse to LA Dodgers reporter for AM five seventy

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Speaker 1: LA Sports. We'll give us some insight and expectation on

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Speaker 1: the Dodgers for twenty twenty three. We'll do some getting

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Speaker 1: Rob and why baseball is better than the NBA in

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Speaker 1: the NFL. Yes, sir, let's go better to lead off.

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Speaker 1: It's getting Rot up to keep him on. Rob's hot

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Speaker 1: take on the three biggest stories in Major League Baseball.

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Speaker 1: Number one, Say it isn't so, Mets fans, Are you

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Speaker 1: kidding me? Closer Edwin Diaz is injured. He injured his

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Speaker 1: right knee on Wednesday night after he closed out the

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Speaker 1: WBC game. He got a strike out to end the

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Speaker 1: end of the the game, a five two victory for Puerto Rico,

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Speaker 1: but the joy turned into tears when his teammates surrounded

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Speaker 1: him and all of a sudden he was sprawled out

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Speaker 1: on the on the floor, on the on the field

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Speaker 1: with the right knee issue. So the celebration stopped and

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Speaker 1: uh Diaz was helped off the field, put into a

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Speaker 1: wheelchair and then rolled onto the concourse beneath the stands,

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Speaker 1: and uh, you know, you could some players were really upset.

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Speaker 1: Some were crying the whole idea that and when Diaz

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Speaker 1: can be hurt in a celebration, a freak, you know incident.

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Speaker 1: We've seen this happen before, and aball, you can't blame

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Speaker 1: this on the WBC, you know, like people, Oh, this

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Speaker 1: is why you shouldn't play the WBC because people get hurt.

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Speaker 1: And this is a freak accident. This shouldn't happen. What

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Speaker 1: like he was making a play or something. The game

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Speaker 1: was over. I mean, that would subdue any mood, you know.

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Speaker 1: The Mets tweeted out after the game that Diez and

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Speaker 1: d did suffer a right knee injury and he will

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Speaker 1: undergo imaging on Thursday. They want to take a look

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Speaker 1: at it and then they will obviously update everybody. But

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Speaker 1: if he's lost for any significant amount of time, that's

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Speaker 1: a blow to the Mets and their bullpen. Number two,

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Speaker 1: Trevor Bauer, is on his way to Japan to revive

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Speaker 1: his baseball career. As we know, Trevor Bauer hasn't pitched

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Speaker 1: for a couple of years. He was released by the Dodgers,

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Speaker 1: who still have to pay him twenty three million dollars.

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Speaker 1: There was a chance that Bauer, who was would investigate

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Speaker 1: and suspended by Major League Baseball for off the field

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Speaker 1: activities and alleged assault against a woman or a few women,

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Speaker 1: but he was cleared and his suspension was reduced. There

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Speaker 1: were never any criminal charges, so we could have pitched

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Speaker 1: and the suspension was reduced by Major League Baseball. But

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Speaker 1: somehow the other twenty nine teams, nobody decided to give

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Speaker 1: him an opportunity or give him a chance to pitch

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Speaker 1: in the big leagues this year. I'm not surprised. I

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Speaker 1: think it's gonna be a year or two. He's got

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Speaker 1: to do some cleansing. People need to see that he's

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Speaker 1: remorseful and that he's changed his ways, at least publicly,

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Speaker 1: and I think there'll be another opportunity for him. The

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Speaker 1: only strange thing about this announcement was that, he said

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Speaker 1: as a kid growing up in Hollywood, California somehow or

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Speaker 1: the suburban LA he grew up dreaming of pitching in

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Speaker 1: Japanese baseball in the Worlds. That was at your childhood

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Speaker 1: dream to pitch in the Japanese Baseball league. Seems a

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Speaker 1: little far fetched. It might be intriguing, but I'm assuming

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Speaker 1: that kid Trevor Bauer in suburban Los Angeles grew up

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Speaker 1: as a Dodger fan and always wanted to pitch at

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Speaker 1: Dodger Stadium. So I guess you're playing to the crowd

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Speaker 1: telling people that that was your childhood dream. Nonetheless, that's

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Speaker 1: what he'll be. He'll be in Japan this year. I'm

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Speaker 1: sure major league teams will monitor him, see about his behavior,

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Speaker 1: see if he still has his good stuff. You remember,

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Speaker 1: he had won the Cy Young with the Reds a

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Speaker 1: couple of years ago, signed a big deal with the Dodgers,

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Speaker 1: with the highest paid player in Major League Baseball at

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Speaker 1: one point, and then the scandal hit. So he'll try

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Speaker 1: to regroup, try to bounce back, and we'll be keeping

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Speaker 1: an eye from across the seas at Trevor Bauer pitching

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Speaker 1: in Japan. Number three interesting news and good news his house.

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Speaker 1: Time Brenner, the managing partner of the New York Yankees,

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Speaker 1: had a conversation with the New York Media and talked about,

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Speaker 1: you know, having conversations with his star Aaron Judge when

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Speaker 1: it comes to the business of the Yankees, that he

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Speaker 1: wants input from Aaron Judge, who we know bet on

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Speaker 1: himself wound up getting a big three hundred and sixty

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Speaker 1: million dollars deal from the Yankees to stay. Aaron Judge

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Speaker 1: is the biggest star in baseball sixty two home runs,

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Speaker 1: the new American League record, who people flock to watch

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Speaker 1: last year. But you know, hearing an owners say he's

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Speaker 1: talking to the one of the star players Baseball's twenty

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Speaker 1: six players on their roster. So to say that you're

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Speaker 1: talking to your star and you're consulting him and asking

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Speaker 1: him for ideas. He's even talking about with Aaron Judge

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Speaker 1: about improvements that need to be made at their minor

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Speaker 1: league facility down in Tampa. I mean that you wouldn't

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Speaker 1: think that would be a conversation, But apparently how loves

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Speaker 1: his relationship with Aaron and Aaron Judge. I'm not surprised

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Speaker 1: he didn't go I remember the Padres offered the four

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Speaker 1: hundred million in the eleventh hour trying to steal him

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Speaker 1: away from the Yankees, and he took the three sixty

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Speaker 1: to stay in the Bronx. This guy loves being in

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Speaker 1: the pend stripes, love the whole tradition of it. And

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Speaker 1: I think Steinbrenner holstein Brenner in this case admires that

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Speaker 1: you know you want people want to play for you,

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Speaker 1: who respect what has been built with your organization and

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Speaker 1: the fame and the history of the Yankees, and that

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Speaker 1: embodies Aaron Judge. He's no issues off the field. He's

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Speaker 1: a great guy. He gets his stardom, he can handle

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Speaker 1: it in New York all the pressure that comes with it.

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Speaker 1: A lot of players can't play in New York because

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Speaker 1: of the pressure of the fans and the media. But

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Speaker 1: Aaron Judge has no issue. And I think hal steinbrun

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Speaker 1: is doing the right thing. This is a smart business.

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Speaker 1: Get Aaron Judge involved, make him feel like he is

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Speaker 1: important and a long term part of the New York Yankees.

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Speaker 1: When Rob was a newspaper columnist, he lived by this motto,

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Speaker 1: if I'm writing, I'm ripping, Let's bring in a writer.

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Speaker 1: A broadcaster, older new Now let's welcome into the podcast,

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Speaker 1: mister David Vassey, Our Dave Vasse, whatever you want to say,

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Speaker 1: of course, long time Dodgers reporter for AM five seventy

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Speaker 1: LA Sports, the home of the Dodgers on the radio

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Speaker 1: in Los Angeles. Dave, Welcome to the program. How are you, Oh,

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Speaker 1: always great to be with you, Rob, Thanks for asking

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Speaker 1: me on again. I remember during the pandemic, I'd be

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Speaker 1: walking around Texas Stadium with you putting me on the show.

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Speaker 1: So that's what I remember most about this. That's right,

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Speaker 1: no doubt about it. Let's start here. Freddie Freeman, a

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Speaker 1: hamstring happen in the WBC's playing for Canada. Both of

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Speaker 1: his parents were born. There's the what's the diagnosis on him?

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Speaker 1: And will he be ready for Opening Day? He will

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Speaker 1: be ready for Opening Day. Spoke to Freddie and he

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Speaker 1: said he did not feel that dreaded tug at his

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Speaker 1: hamstring or any pop, just merely tightness in the middle

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Speaker 1: of his right hamstring. He's gonna be back playing Cactus

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Speaker 1: League games here this weekend. So the Dodgers dodged a

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Speaker 1: huge bullet with that. But Rob, as you know, you

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Speaker 1: know it's not just getting over it physically, but mentally.

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Speaker 1: Will Freddie be able to feel like himself without having

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Speaker 1: to worry about this hamstring in the back of his mind.

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Speaker 1: I'm still waiting to see that, and I'm still I

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Speaker 1: think the Dodgers are still, you know, hoping that this

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Speaker 1: does not linger any sort of tightness because you know,

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Speaker 1: you know, hamstrings go. You might think you're over it,

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Speaker 1: but all of a sudden you have a setback. But

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Speaker 1: the good news is it seemed like he was very proactive,

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Speaker 1: did not chance it and took himself out of the game.

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Speaker 1: That made a lot of sense. You don't want to

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Speaker 1: reaggravate it or heard it further and then miss time.

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Speaker 1: And You're right. The Dodgers they need him. He was

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Speaker 1: one of the most productive players a year ago, had

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Speaker 1: a great first season in LA and the Dodgers are

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Speaker 1: expecting big things from him again. Yeah, especially now without

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Speaker 1: the shift. Freddie Freeman has a very good chance of

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Speaker 1: winning the batting title this season. And if there's one

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Speaker 1: player the Dodgers cannot afford with the lack of their

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Speaker 1: depth in their lineup this season, it's Freddie Freeman. They

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Speaker 1: cannot lose Freddie Freeman for any extended period of time.

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Speaker 1: I feel like they could even make up for losing

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Speaker 1: Mookie Bets more than they could make up for losing

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Speaker 1: Freddie Freeman in that lineup. And look, it's Freddie going

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Speaker 1: to risk his season for Team Canada. I would certainly

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Speaker 1: hope not. And obviously he did not chance it, so

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Speaker 1: that's good thing. Let's talk about the Dodgers and the pitching.

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Speaker 1: They had a chance to bring back Trevor Bauer, who

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Speaker 1: was a former Side Young Award when I know that

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Speaker 1: wasn't happening, but but you know, some teams might have

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Speaker 1: just said, hey, you know, they're all he faced his suspension,

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Speaker 1: it's all over. But it doesn't seem like his teammates

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Speaker 1: really wanted him back or the organization just quickly there

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Speaker 1: was no chance to him coming back to the Dodgers,

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Speaker 1: was there. Well, I will clarify this, Rob The teammates

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Speaker 1: were not the issue here. I think the teammates would

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Speaker 1: not have I feel like the sense I got talking

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Speaker 1: to players on the team, they were ambivalent to the

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Speaker 1: whole situation. They knew he could help them potentially as

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Speaker 1: a starting pitcher, and you know, if if they didn't

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Speaker 1: bring him back, Nobody in spring training is complaining about

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Speaker 1: that either, so I feel like there was ambivalence from

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Speaker 1: the player's side. But look, the evidence is that twenty

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Speaker 1: nine other teams had an opportunity to sign Trevor Bauer

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Speaker 1: for the league minimum. They chose not to for some reason,

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Speaker 1: and now he's pitching in Japan. But going back to

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Speaker 1: the Dodgers pitching rob I really believe that could be

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Speaker 1: the difference in this NLST race. I really believe that

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Speaker 1: the Dodgers have the good pitching depth quality pitching depth

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Speaker 1: to get through one hundred and sixty two games. That's

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Speaker 1: their biggest strength. They're starting rotation depth over the Padres.

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Speaker 1: I just feel like that could be a difference maker.

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Speaker 1: The Padres certainly are going to score a lot of runs,

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Speaker 1: but is there pitching deep enough to get through a marathon?

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Speaker 1: A lot of people are questioning that. How about the

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Speaker 1: shortstop position. Of course, trade Turner side a free agent

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Speaker 1: deal with the Philadelphia Phillies for big money. What did

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Speaker 1: a die just going to do? And you know, going

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Speaker 1: forward in that spot, Yeah, well it's going to be

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Speaker 1: veteran Miguel Rojas, who they traded for during the off

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Speaker 1: season to add some infield depth, and now they have

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Speaker 1: a guy that can play shortstop and play it defensively

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Speaker 1: better than most in Major League Baseball. And also, you know,

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Speaker 1: his veteran leadership is going to be able to help

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Speaker 1: Miguel Vargas help him learn a new position at second base.

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Speaker 1: So the Dodgers are are okay at shortstop, rob but

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Speaker 1: where they where they may find some concern is their

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Speaker 1: infield depth because they don't really have a plan see

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Speaker 1: now with lux being out in Rojas being the starting shortstop.

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Speaker 1: That's why as we speak right now, they're still trying

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Speaker 1: to find some depth that could help them out up

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Speaker 1: the middle and in the infield, because Rojas was going

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Speaker 1: to play all four instant infield spots and if somebody

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Speaker 1: got hurt, he could fill in for a period of time.

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Speaker 1: But now he's the starting shortstop and they don't really

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Speaker 1: have anybody behind him to do that role except for

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Speaker 1: Chris Taylor and Gavin Loved you mention him a What

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Speaker 1: a break that was for him to be injured. I

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Speaker 1: mean the Dodgers were expecting big things from him. What

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Speaker 1: a chance to play every day? Yeah, and on such

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Speaker 1: a freak play, right, there was no play at third base.

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Speaker 1: He was ducking because he thought the ball was going

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Speaker 1: to hit him in the head and it didn't appear

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Speaker 1: like it was anywhere near him. But yeah, big, big

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Speaker 1: loss and a really tough break for Gavin Lux because

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Speaker 1: he was ready for this opportunity. He had worked so

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Speaker 1: hard during the offseason to be ready for this and

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Speaker 1: he really was going to have a big year. So

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Speaker 1: you know, you know how it goes, rob when you

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Speaker 1: have acl and other ligaments that need to be repaired,

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Speaker 1: it's hard to be the same guy the following season.

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Speaker 1: So hopefully his youth, being only twenty five, can help

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Speaker 1: him recover. Our guest, as David Vast say, he's a

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Speaker 1: Dodger reporter for AM five seventy LA Sports, the home

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Speaker 1: of the Dodgers on the radio in Los Angeles. Another

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Speaker 1: veteran the Dodgers have in campus Jason Hayward, you know who,

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Speaker 1: of course, was played for the Cubs, start for the

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Speaker 1: Cardinals and as a left handed bat. Tell me about

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Speaker 1: his spring and can he make the team? Is he

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Speaker 1: going to be a part of this Dodger team for

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Speaker 1: twenty twenty three. The indications we're getting from Dave Roberts

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Speaker 1: are that Hayward will get an opportunity to be on

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Speaker 1: the opening day roster. I can see why people in

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Speaker 1: Chicago loved him. He's a great guy, he's a great

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Speaker 1: teammate just in the short time I've gotten to know

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Speaker 1: him in spring training. Tremendous, tremendous human being, and they're

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Speaker 1: going to give him an opportunity. He's made out of

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Speaker 1: coal adjustments in the positive way to try to give

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Speaker 1: himself a chance to be better than what he's been

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Speaker 1: the last few years. So let's see where it takes

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Speaker 1: the Dodgers, and if it doesn't go well, they have

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Speaker 1: a very young outfielder and James Altman that is ready

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Speaker 1: for his opportunity as well. All Right, the Padres, we

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Speaker 1: brought that up earlier. You know, the expectations are big.

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Speaker 1: You talked about whether or not they'd have the pitching

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Speaker 1: for the marathon of one hundred and sixty two. But

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Speaker 1: the lineup is unbelievable. I think is sick. Am I right,

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Speaker 1: just talk about the Dodgers. At last year, the Dodgers

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Speaker 1: beat up on the Padres all regular season and then

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Speaker 1: the Padres shocked them in the postseason. The Padres are

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Speaker 1: going to be formidable. They just I don't see the

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Speaker 1: weak link in the lineup. Yeah, not just this year,

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Speaker 1: for the foreseeable future, because they have every intention in

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Speaker 1: extending Juan Soto. They just extended Manny Machado, they added

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Speaker 1: Xander Bogart's, Fernando Tattis Junior is under on track. It's

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Speaker 1: a tremendous lineup. It reminds me of the lineups the

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Speaker 1: Dodgers have had the previous three or four years. It's

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Speaker 1: that good. They're going to score a lot of runs

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Speaker 1: and they're going to need to. I'm sure on certain nights.

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Speaker 1: They have a very good team. Everybody I talked to

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Speaker 1: believes that this race, the NL West Race, will come

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Speaker 1: down to the final two or three weeks of the season,

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Speaker 1: may even come down to the final week of the season.

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Speaker 1: But the pitching depth. You saw Nick Martinez for Team USA,

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Speaker 1: that's one of their starting pitchers. After you know, Joe

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Speaker 1: Musgrove dropped a dumbbell on his toe. If that were

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Speaker 1: to happen in the regular season, could they handle that.

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Speaker 1: So that's the only if you had to poke a

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Speaker 1: hole in the Padre's roster, it would be that the

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Speaker 1: Dodgers strength is their starting pitching for the regular season,

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Speaker 1: and the Padres strength is their offense and also their bullpen.

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Speaker 1: They have a very good lockdown bullpen. Josh Hayter found

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Speaker 1: something at the end of last year. He's back. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: he's back, and he's a free agent at the end

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Speaker 1: of the year, so you know he's going to be

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Speaker 1: locked in this season. Let's the final thing. They appreciate it.

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Speaker 1: As we talk about the Dodgers, what all the expectations,

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Speaker 1: I mean, the Dodgers expect to win a World Series.

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Speaker 1: They've built that way to have star players. You know,

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Speaker 1: is do they have enough to get there and win

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Speaker 1: another World Series? Of course they won in twenty twenty.

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Speaker 1: They do have enough, rob They certainly do. We saw

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Speaker 1: it last year. You don't have to win one hundred

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Speaker 1: and eleven games to get to the World Series or

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Speaker 1: win the World Series. The Phillies proved that. It was

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Speaker 1: a disappointing end to last year. There's no doubt about it.

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Speaker 1: You win a hundred and eleven games and get bounced

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Speaker 1: in the first round by only winning one in the playoffs.

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Speaker 1: It was borderline embarrassing. Let's be honest with that group.

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Speaker 1: But this year they still have enough to get there,

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Speaker 1: and they have enough to run the table to the

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Speaker 1: World Series. It's going to be. As far as expectations go,

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Speaker 1: I can tell you the fans expect the World Series

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Speaker 1: every year from the Dodgers. With this, with the expectations

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Speaker 1: the Dodgers have set for themselves. But I think fans

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Speaker 1: are sitting back waiting to see what this team is

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Speaker 1: going to look like and how they're going to perform

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Speaker 1: without All Star after All Star after All Star. And

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Speaker 1: I think the National League days stopped me if I'm wrong.

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Speaker 1: The National League is a stronger league. You know, it

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Speaker 1: goes back and forth with teams. But in the East

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Speaker 1: you got the Mets, of course, you got the Braves,

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Speaker 1: and you got the Phillies, who spent a lot of

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Speaker 1: money in the all season, and then you got the

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Speaker 1: Dodgers and the Padres. Those might be five of the

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Speaker 1: best seven or eight teams in the entire baseball, no doubt, Rob.

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Speaker 1: But I will say this, I know everybody loves the Phillies.

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Speaker 1: They're going to be without Bryce Harper and still July,

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Speaker 1: and they needed Bryce Harper last year when he was

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Speaker 1: out for that period of time trying to figure out

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Speaker 1: his elbow situation. They did not play well, and once

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Speaker 1: he came back, they went to a different level and

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Speaker 1: him being a DH saved their season. Trey Turner is

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Speaker 1: going to be a huge addition for them in Harper's absence,

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Speaker 1: and when he gets back, he's going to give them

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Speaker 1: a boost. But they're going to have to keep their

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Speaker 1: head above water in that tough NL East until Harper

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Speaker 1: comes back, So it's gonna be tough. The Mets, I guess,

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Speaker 1: are good. I'm not all in on the Mets like

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Speaker 1: everybody else. I couldn't believe Buck Showalter won the National

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Speaker 1: League Manager of the Year when his team blew a

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Speaker 1: fifteen game lead, and he still wins Manager of the

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Speaker 1: Year because he's cute with the New York media and

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Speaker 1: Curry favored with them. I just didn't get that, and

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Speaker 1: I'm still not sold on them. I think the Braves

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Speaker 1: right now are the best team in the National League. Yeah,

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Speaker 1: Braves are young, and they got so many They just

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Speaker 1: keep bringing up these young studs. It's amazing where they are.

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Speaker 1: They aren't going anywhere for years to come. As well.

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Speaker 1: His name is David Vasse. He's the best at covering

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Speaker 1: the Dodgers. That's why we hadn't on the podcast. Dave,

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Speaker 1: appreciate you and we'll see you opening Day in two weeks.

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Speaker 1: I can't wait. Can't wait me either, under the lights

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Speaker 1: at Dodger Stadium. Robert all right, thank you, David Vasse

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Speaker 1: Am five seventy LA Sports now bringing the closer. Here's

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Speaker 1: why MLB it's better than the NFL or NBA, and

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Speaker 1: it isn't even close. Reason number five hundred and fifty

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Speaker 1: five why Major League Baseball is better than the NBA

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Speaker 1: and the NFL. It's simple. Did you see the WBC

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Speaker 1: game in Miami last night? I mean, the Marlins must

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Speaker 1: have been jealous. It was a sold out crowd. It

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Speaker 1: was unbelievable. Puerto Rico in the Dominican Republic. It was

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Speaker 1: amazing to see the love for the game and all

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Speaker 1: the people who showed up. But baseball is truly an

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Speaker 1: international game. I know a lot of sports talk about it.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna see something that's really cool in one hundred days.

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Speaker 1: The Saint Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs are gonna

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Speaker 1: have a series of two game London series in June

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Speaker 1: June twenty four June twenty fifth at London Stadium and

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Speaker 1: it will mark the return of Major League Baseballs to

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Speaker 1: that site. The Red Sox and Yankees put on a

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Speaker 1: show back in twenty nineteen. It was well received, and

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Speaker 1: so baseball is going back. The Yankees Red Sox played

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Speaker 1: in front of a crowd you ready, fifty nine thousand,

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Speaker 1: six hundred and fifty nine in their opening game. It

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Speaker 1: was the largest crowd at a Major League Baseball game

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Speaker 1: since two thousand and three, and that's pretty amazing. So

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Speaker 1: people in Europe, they're interested in baseball, they want to

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Speaker 1: see it. We know in the WBC Great Britain had

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Speaker 1: a team as a team in in the competition. But

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Speaker 1: this talks about baseball and it's reach all across the globe.

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Speaker 1: We know about all the great Japanese players who have

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Speaker 1: blessed Major League baseball. Now and now here you go

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Speaker 1: the Cubs and Cardinals, one of the sports longest rivals,

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Speaker 1: will be on an international stage, and it'll be great

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Speaker 1: to see those two rivals in London in front of

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Speaker 1: a packed house. So major League Baseball international. Indeed, in

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Speaker 1: the words of New York TV legend the late Bill Jorgensen,

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Speaker 1: thanking you for your time this time until next time,

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Speaker 1: rob Parker out. He can't get it. This could be

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Speaker 1: an inside the Parker. See you next week, same bat time,

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Speaker 1: same bat station,